bamm!! I have been asking exactly the same questions on another forum. I started finasteride in June 2013 and by December 2013 I started experiencing painful and itchy dandruff. It kept on getting worse to the point where I would start to pick thick skin from the affected areas. My scalp has become tight and sometimes it's painful to turn my neck around.
My scalp has become extremely inflamed, even touching/pushing at some areas produce stinging pain. Sometimes I just want to pick a knife and cut off the itching skin. I have tried every dandruff shampoo with no results. Other than scalp this thing is all over my nose and forehead. I had nothing like this before starting finasteride. Doctor thinks my skin condition has nothing to do with finasteride but when I reduced my dose from 1mg to 0.5mg, my itching reduced significantly.
This can be hyperandrogenecity reaction to finasteride as I have kept on losing hair(faster than pre-finasteride days) even after being on finasteride for 19 months. I think our skin reaction has something to do with the rise in testosterone as a result of finasteride. Some people experience acne on finasteride and in our case it;s Seborrheic Dermatitis. The pain and itching I've been experiencing cannot be described in words. I'd rather lose my hair than to live with this pain!
